


Home for the Holidays

by androgynousclintbarton



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 09:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17098178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/androgynousclintbarton/pseuds/androgynousclintbarton
Summary: Fic exchange gift for Colleen (that-one-curly-haired-chick on tumblr)Tilly and Michael go to New Vulcan for Hanukkah with Michael's family





	Home for the Holidays

       Vacations were supposed to be relaxing. A time to sit back and unwind, forget the stresses of the universe and spend time with those that you loved. That is what a vacation was supposed to be.

   Instead, Michael found herself standing in a line up that seemed to never end, the check in desks just barely in sight past all of the starfleet officers, traders, and vacationers who were trying to reach the same destination as her.

    The other side of those stupid check in booths. 

  An elbow bumped her in the side, pulling her attention away from the annoying situation in front of her and towards the cheerful smile plastered on her girlfriends face.

     “You’re being grumpy.” Michael still wasn't exactly sure how Tilly always seemed to know her emotional state, thought it must have been easier to see when you grew up around openly emotional people. “come on Michael, we're here to have fun. Loosen up a bit.”

       Michael stumbled a bit when tilly gave her a playful hip bump. Her way of trying to get Michael to smile, and admittedly a pretty effective method.

      It was nice, being with someone who wanted nothing more than to see her smile. Someone who actually wanted her to express her emotions instead of suppressing them. 

       She gave her head a shake. “I just don't like standing in line waiting for the clearance to go home.” she admitted with a sigh “I go through this every year to be home for hanukkah, and every year it's just as congested, loud and slow. You'd think the federation would have fixed this by now so that it didn't take hours to get through.”

       “It’s hard to adjust for a sudden influx of people travelling to a single destination.” argued tilly, her hand rubbing Michael's back in an attempt to calm her girlfriend “besides, you said your father was coming to pick us up. I don't think he'd like seeing you walk through those doors to see you upset and aggravated.”

      Michael groaned when a picture of Sarek disappointed face flashed through her mind. He always made it a big deal when he saw her letting her emotions get the best of her. She was supposed to be controlled and focused, not annoyed and close to snapping at the next person to brushed up against her. 

        Tilly was right and there was no arguing with the fact. It was better to just relax and wait out the line. Besides, it was one of the few chances she was going to get to be affectionate in public, and she shouldn't be wasting it.

     Unfolding her arms, she reached out and slipped her left arm around Tilley’s waist and gave her girlfriend a gentle tug. After that, tilly fell against her side with ease, laughter filling then air as she wrapped her arms around Michael's waist and pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. “hello to you too.”

        This vacation was going to be perfect, and a stupid line up wasn't going to ruin it. 

* * *

       It was funny. Michael thought she had been annoyed and uncomfortable waiting in line for two hours to get onto Vulcan, but as soon as they had been approved and let through, Tilly had grabbed her hand and dragged her through the exit doors with the unstoppable force of a terrified gorn. 

        And she was never going to let Saru know that the thought had crossed her mind.

      “freedom!” Tilly threw her arms up In triumph, beaming over at Michael while everyone else made their way around them. It was hard not to notice all of the stairs her girlfriend was getting, especially from a small family of Vulcans who happened to be passing by when Tilly wrapped her arms around Michael's neck and kissed the daylights out of her.

       Michael would be lying if she said she wasn't a little embarrassed by her girlfriend, but at the same time it was hard to be mad when she was being kissed so powerfully. 

      “I see public affection is not an issue for you two.” the slight amusement in Sarek voice would be missed by anyone else, but Michael knew him to well. She also knew exactly how him and Amanda were in private, and she had no hopes of ever being that embarrassing and adorable with Tilly.

       Tilly, however, seemed sufficiently embarrassed by the sudden intrusion on their moment of victory, and Michael had little warning before she found herself being pushed back while tilly covered her mouth and looked at the Vulcan ambassador in horror.

        “I apologize for the delay in our arrival.” Michael stated, turning to face her father fully and smiling slightly when he held up two fingers towards her. It was second nature, reaching out to meet his gesture, and the sudden influx of relief and warm washed over her when she pressed her fingers against his. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how much Sarek cared about her. He hid it so well in public, and it didn't help that his actions weren't always those of a caring father. 

       “Amanda is waiting for our arrival back at the house.” there never was any pointless banter when it came to Sarek. “She is looking forward to baking with you both tonight.”

       “i assume Spock will choose to forgo baking again in favour of studying?” inquired Michael, frowning when Sarek diverted his eyes “he’s not coming home?”

       “Spock has decided to stay on the enterprise for the holidays this year.” Sarek explained “a logical choice, as it is a human holiday.”

       “A human holiday that is part of his own history.” argued Michael “he may be vulcan, but ethnically he is also jewish. Not being here with his family is not the logical thing to do. He just doesn't want to risk another argument with you.”

     “Spock has his reasons for the choices he makes and we must respect them.”  Sarek stated, his eyes meeting with Michael's once more. He was still embarrassed by the situation, and Michael could only imagine how upset amanda was about the whole thing. Sarek had probably heard about it non stop since Spock gave them the news. She didn't need to add to his personal shame when it came to his relationship with his son. 

        Thankfully, Tilly always seemed to know when to insert herself into a conversation. “Well, if your brother isn't here to play party pooper I can pick up some of the slack for him.” ok, maybe she didn't know exactly how to make the conversation better, but at least she tried. Michael appreciated the effort. 

        Sarek seemed to appreciate the effort as well. For the first time since their arrival, Michael saw his shoulders relaxing and his hands falling to his side instead of staying clasped behind his back. It was a rare sight, especially if amanda wasn't around. 

    “We can continue our conversation at the house.” he promised “Amanda will want to hear about your latest adventures. And she is...excited, to meet your mate.”

      Michael could feel the heat rising up in her cheeks. How could Sarek make one word so embarrassing?

        “Mate?” and of course, tilly was going to find a way to make it worse. “is that how vulcans refer to their partners?”

       “it is.” Sarek nodded “Michael has explained her relationship with you and it has the same devotion and care as any vulcan marriage. Thought you two are not yet wed…”

       “Ok!” Michael clapped her hands together, breaking up the conversation before it could get any worse. She was not ready for this type of conversation yet, not with Sarek. “we.. should get going. Amanda doesn't need to be kept waiting.”

        “Alright.” the embarrassment only got worse when Tilly stepped up the into her space and pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek. “let's get going, mate.”

         This time, Michael wasn't sure how exactly how to feel about the use of such a private and important word. She was still embarrassed, especially when she noticed Sarek raising an eyebrow, this time with a glimmer of amusement tucked away deep inside of those soft eyes. On the other hand, she felt warm. Sure, mate wasn't exactly how most humans referred to their partner, but Michael wasn't most humans. She was raised on vulcan, with vulcan beliefs and ideals, and it made her feel amazing knowing that Tilly recognized and respected that on some level.

         There were no more words after that. There didn't need to be. Sarek simply took a step back and waited for Michael to claim her place by his side, Tilly standing off to her right so that Michael was situated between them as they started to make their way towards the exit.

* * *

    Michael had forgotten how warm and kind Sarek could be. It was, admittedly, an easy thing to forget sometimes, the way he held himself in public and how he restricted their relationship in front of others. Sometimes it felt like she was no more than some kid he had taken in when her parents died.

        But the ride to the house had reminded her just how deeply he really did care. Not for one second did he let Tilly believe his relationship with his kids wasn't important, and Michael couldn't help but smile a little as he told her girlfriend stories about her and Spock getting into trouble while they were growing up. Sarek rarely opened up to anyone, and it took Tilly two minutes to get him to let his guards down and tell her family stories, it was amazing. 

      “Wait,” Tilly slapped her in the shoulder gently, pulling her out of her thoughts and back to the current story “you gave your vulcan brother chocolate? On purpose?”

     “Spock is half human.” she defended herself “there was no guarantee he would have the same effect as his father. Besides, he wouldn't stop asking to try my cupcake.”

      “i find it difficult to believe that my son would do something so…”

 “illogical?” Michael beamed when her father narrowed his eyes towards her “Spock isn't always the most logical being. Sometimes he's more, human.”

     “Out of all of my children, Spock is the least human.” argued Sarek “with you as a close second.”

     That familiar warm feeling washed over Michael once again. Sarek was never obligated to view her the same as Spock and Sybok. She wasn't his biological child, but he always found a way to remind her that she was no less important or valued. He was far from the perfect father, but she did appreciate the effort he put in to being a just and kind father sometimes. .

     “Is this it?” they both turned towards Tilly, raising an eyebrow when they saw her half hanging out of the shuttle looking at the house that they had stopped beside. “oh, please tell me that's your mom Michael. She's beautiful.”

      Leaning forward, Michael peered through the small space left between her girlfriend and the end of the window, a smile pulling at her lips when she saw Amanda waving at them from the front garden. 

        “We're here.” The words were soft, which would be a surprise for anyone who didn't know the man who had spoken them. Michael, however, knew without a doubt that Amanda was a soft spot for Sarek. He adored her in every way and he had no issue showing it around family and friends. 

       Of course, when it came to other vulcans he closed himself off. Michael knew the xenophobia he faced over his choices in regards to his human family members. She had seen it in his memories, and it made her hate everyone who had the audacity to look down on any of them. To think they weren't good enough just because of their human DNA. 

      She gave her head a shake. There was no point dwelling on the past. She was here for her family, no one else. She couldn't let some judgemental ass holes ruin her vacation, especially when she still had to properly introduce Tilly to everyone.

      The door opened in front of them, allowing Tilly to hop out. Once she had her feet on the ground, she turned around with a bright smile and held out a hand for michael. “such a romantic.” she joked, reaching out to take Tilley’s hand and pulling herself out of the shuttle. 

      Sarek waited for them both to find their way out of the vehicle before he finally grabbed hold of the side and hoisted himself up. As soon as he had his feet on the ground, he was gone from their side. 

“You dad is weird.” She glanced over at Tilly, raising an eyebrow at her girlfriends comment “i mean, don’t get me wrong. He’s super sweet and his stories are pretty amazing, but he’s just so…distant.” It was funny. Michael used to think the same way Tilly does, back before Sarek took her in. When her parents were still alive. Now though, she knew a lot better.

“It’s because we’re in public.” She explained, wrapping an arm around Tilly’s waste and watching as Sarek and Amanda greeted each other with a tender touch of two fingers. “Sarek is...he’s complicated. He’s sweet but also strict, and that strictness comes from being not only Vulcan, but the Vulcan ambassador. He is the face of all of Vulcan when he’s in public. If he makes one misstep, he’s screwed.”

“So…” Tilly glanced over at her, a soft smile on her face “How much shit was he in for marrying a human?”

       Michael chuckled “I think that's a question best saved for Amanda.” she admitted.

  Tilly grabbed hold of her arm “let's go then.” she insisted, pulling Michael behind her as she made her way towards the house. 

This week off was going to be fantastic, Michael could already tell.

* * *

      With a warm cup of tea in hand, Michael made her way into the living room where she had left Tilly and her parents not too long ago, hoping that it would be safe to leave her chatty girlfriend with the people who had raised and helped mold her.

    She was wrong.

       She was so very wrong.

 “And then Michael jumped off the side of the cliff after Doctor Culber.” Michael's face paled. Of all the stories Tilly could choose, she went with that one?

    Amanda was going to kill her. Maybe, just maybe she could slip out before…

   “Michael Burnham!” god, that woman's ‘motherly senses’ were way too good for Michael's health “How many times have i told you not to do stupid things?”

      “i don't think you can get worse than ‘start a war with the Klingon empire accidently and mutiny against your Captain’” Michael grumbled under her breath, wincing when Amanda turned her head to glare at her. “come on, I wasn't going to let the doctor fall to his death. Paul would have killed me if I came back to the ship without his boyfriend.”

        “there are more logical ways to protect those we care about.” Sarek pointed out.

     “Yes, i’m definitely going to follow your advice after the ‘starfleet vs the vulcan science academy’ debacle.” she huffed, a smirk pulling at her lips when Sarek diverted his eyes. “anyways, I'm sure there are better stories to tell.”

    Tilly, for her part, had the decency to look embarrassed for her mistake. 

     “well, how about…” The ensign thought about her options for a moment, weighing the pros and cons in her mind (at least, that's the only reason Michael could think of for the thoughtful look that appeared on her girlfriends face.) “well, I don't really know much about you other than what I've seen on the ship. You rarely ever talk about yourself or your family except little tidbits here and there.”

        “That would be Sarek’s fault.” Amanda chuckled when her husband narrowed his eyes towards her “Vulcans are very private In a lot of ways and he was always trying to teach Michael to be more vulcan.”

    “Well, if you don't mind me saying, I kind of like it.” Michael looked away, embarrassed by her girlfriends comment “Michael is an interesting mix of Vulcan ideals and human emotions. It's kind of cool and shows just how much we could still learn from each other.”

        “Well, I'm glad she held onto those emotions,” This time when Amanda looked back at her, it was with a warm smile. “even of Sarek tried to train them out of you.”

      Rolling her eyes, Michael made her way over to the couch that Tilly had claimed for them and carefully took her seat beside her girlfriend. “It’s better to make your way through life with a logical mind.” she quoted her father “but it's also fun to smile once in a while.” 

       “Well, I hope the ambassador realizes how much he has influenced you, in positive ways I mean.” Tilly smiled over at the Vulcan “Michael may not be your biological child, but she’s a lot like you, sir.”

     Sarek seemed confused by the comment, his brows drawing together as he tried to process what Tilly had said. 

      Amanda chuckled when she saw the look on her husband's face “it’s a complement Darling.” she stated, reaching out to place also hand over his “sometimes people give you those.”

      “My parenting skills have, admittedly, not been an area i receive many complements in.” Sarek sighed “Spock himself has made more than a few negative observations about my skills as a father.”

     “Well, if you cut him a break on the whole ‘joining starfleet’ thing he might realize you're not so bad.” argued Michael.

      “Spock had a promising future at the vulcan Science academy.” Argued Sarek.

      “And I didn't?” Michael watched as the older Vulcan lowered his eyes “ya, that's what I thought. Spock made his choice and he's good in Starfleet. You should be proud of him.”

    “I never said I was not proud of my son” Sarek stated. “if anyone thinks that, they are mistaken.”

   “Well…” Michael leaned back into the couch, smiling when Tilly moved a little closer and placed a hand on her knee “I think it would help your relationship a lot if he heard that from you.”

      At that point, Sarek went quiet. Michael couldn't tell if he was trying to process what she had said, or trying to find an argument against telling his son he was proud. She could only watch in amusement as he looked over at his wife for guidance.

    “we'll talk about it later.” Amanda promised, placing a hand over her husbands in reassurance. “for now, we have family visiting and we've barely talked about Tilly.”

   “oh, there's no need to talk about me yet.” Tilly promised “There’s not much to learn. My life was pretty straight forward and boring until I met Michael. Besides, I've told her everything about me and she has told me absolutely nothing.”

        “Embarrassed to talk about us Michael?” joked Amanda.

   “Stories can never do justice to the real thing.” Michael quoted an old saying she remembered from her childhood, frowning when she saw the way Amanda's face softened at her words. “what?”

     “Your mom used to say that all the time.” Amanda mused.

   Tilly slapped a hand over Michael's mouth when she attempted to respond. “Her mom? As in her biological mom? Oh please tell me there are stories.” Michael rolled her eyes. She wasn't about to deny the fact that she would love to hear stories about her biological parents. Amanda and Sarek always had great she movies about them. Tilly’s enthusiasm was just...a little over the top.

            “Well, in that case.” she groaned, reaching up to remove Tilly’s hand from her mouth as Amanda got ready for story time. “how about the day Atiena decided to show Sarek and Sybok how to bond by taking them rock climbing with her and michael?”

     Tilly squealed, slapping Michael in the arm as she tried to contain at least a small portion of her excitement. Beside Amanda, Sarek rolled his eyes. 

    This was going to be fun. 


End file.
